Waukesha-based publisher Kalmbach Media has sold its railroad and space enthusiast brands to Chattanooga, Tennessee-based Firecrown Media for an undisclosed price.
Firecrown is a transportation media provider that publishes content on the aviation, boating and logistics industries. Some of the company’s brands include FLYING, Boating, Yachting, Salt Water Sportsman and FreighWaves.
Firecrown has acquired Kalmbach Media’s Train, Model Railroader, Classic Toy Trains, Garden Railways and Trains.com brands. The acquisition also includes the space enthusiast brand Astronomy, as well as FineScale Modeler, Kalmbach Books and Kalmbach’s digital e-commerce stores.
“We are excited to have a found a new home for these storied and well-respected brands,” said Dan Hickey, chief executive officer of Kalmbach Media. “While these are always difficult decisions, it is great to know that their stewardship moving forward will be under the guidance of a company and leader dedicated and passionate about their continued growth and expansion.”
Firecrown plans to retain all of the editorial and content resources of the former Kalmbach Media brands and to open a new office in Wisconsin to accommodate the teams currently working on them.
With the acquisition, Firecrown plans to invest significantly in Trains’ business editorial coverage, increasing the rail industry’s cadence and depth of coverage.
“The rail titles are a perfect addition to our portfolio, not just because of their business potential but also because of the shared passion and spirit of the rail and aviation communities. We believe that ‘railfans’ and ‘avgeeks’ are kindred spirits,” said Craig Fuller, founder and CEO of Firecrown.
Firecrown is also planning a substantial increase in daily video updates, news content and analysis, virtual events, and business analysis for the rail industry, modeled after the FreightWaves media brand’s success covering the logistics industry.
New York City-based Oaklins DeSilva Phillips advised Kalmbach Media during the transaction.
